Music by wire

Guitar basics

Tuning and the strings

A guitar has six strings, and they are usually counted from the thinnest one to the thickest one. So when you’re holding the guitar, with the neck pointing to the left (unless you have a left-handed guitar) the thinnest string will be the one closest to the ground, and this is the first string. The thickest string is closest to your head, and this is the sixth string.

Going from the first (the thinnest) to the sixth (the thickest), the strings are called E, B, G, D, A, E, and the first thing to do is to memorize these. You could make up a sentence to make it easier to remember, like for example “Eating Blue Goats Doesn’t Alter Evenings”. The first letters of the words make up the names of the strings.

Now that we know the names of the strings, we need to tune them. There are many things that can help you with this. If you already know a few things about music, you could use a tuning fork or the tuning note of an electronic metronome, or tune against a piano or an other instrument. You could also use an electronic tuner. Once you get used to how the tuning works, you’ll be able to do it by ear.

If you’re using a tuning fork or a metronome to tune the A string, you’ll need to tune the other strings based on the A string. There are a couple of ways to do this. If you don’t know the words “fret” and “tuning key”, you can have a look at this article about guitar components on Wikipedia.

Note that a “fret” is technically the metal band that runs across the fretboard, but when you say “place your finger on the 5th fret” it means you should press the string down above the 5th fret (that is, between the 4th and the 5th fret), not directly on top of the metal band. Pressing the string down between the 4th and 5th frets allows the string to vibrate freely only from the 5th metal band and downwards. So while your finger is not directly “on” the 5th fret, the string is.

Method 1:

1. Press down the 5th fret of the 6th string and play that one note. Now compare that to the loose 5th string. They should sound the same. If this is not the case, adjust the tuning key of the 6th string until they do sound the same.
2. Now press down the 5th fret of the A string and compare it to the loose 4th string (the D string). These should sound the same. If they don’t, then adjust the tuning key of the 4th string.
3. Press down the 3rd fret of the 6th string and pluck the string. Compare this sound to the loose 3rd string. This should be the same sound, but one octave apart. If it isn’t, then adjust the tuning key of the 3rd string.
4. Press down on the 2nd fret of the 5th string, and compare this to the loose 2nd string (the B string). Adjust the tuning key of the 2nd string if needed.
5. Press down the 2nd fret of the 4th string, and pluck the string. Compare this to the loose 1st string. You can also compare the 1st string to the loose 6th string. All three should be the same tone, but two octaves apart.

Method 2:

This is very similar to method 1, but instead of pressing down the strings, you use harmonics instead. A harmonic is a high-pitched, flute-like sound that occurs when you pluck a string while very lightly touching a string directly over a metal fret and then immediately remove the finger, allowing the string to vibrate freely. Click the link below to see a video with a demonstration. It’s an .mpeg file, about 4 mb in size.

Harmonics on the 5th and 7th frets

1. Tune the 5th string (the A string). Play a harmonic directly over the 5th fret of the 6th string. Then play a harmonic directly over the 7th fret of the 5th string and compare. The sound should be the same. If it isn’t, adjust the tuning key of the 6th string.
2. Play the harmonic on the 5th fret of the 5th string, and compare this to the harmonic on the 7th fret of the 4th string. If the sounds are not the same, adjust the tuning key of the 4th string.
3. Now play a harmonic on the 7th fret of the 6th string, and compare this to the loose 2nd string. Adjust the tuning key of the 2nd string if the sounds are not in tune.
4. Play a harmonic on the 7th fret of the 5th string, and compare this to the loose 1st string. If the sounds are not in tune, adjust the tuning key of the 1st string.
5. Either play a harmonic on the 5th fret of the 5th string, or play the loose 5th string, whichever you prefer. Then play the 2nd fret of the 3rd string (you need to actually press the string down, don’t play a harmonic) and compare. Adjust the tuning key of the 3rd string if needed.

That’s it. Now your guitar should be more or less in tune. Tuning and harmonics both take a bit of practise, but it gets much easier after you’ve done it a few times.

Posture

The more relaxed you are when you play the guitar, the better it is for your body. It is easy to strain your shoulders, elbows and wrists if you are too tense, so here’s some pointers on how to hold the guitar.

First of all, find a good chair to sit on, (unless you want to play standing up and use a shoulder strap). You should be able to have your feet on the floor, so that you can comfortably keep the guitar resting on your right leg (on your left leg, if you have a left-handed guitar). If your chair is higher, find something to put under your foot. Now relax your fretboard hand completely, and just let it hang down along your side. You’ll notice that your fingers will curl up slightly, and your thumb will be more or less opposite your index finger. Keep your hand relaxed, but raise your arm and just slip the neck of the guitar in between your thumb and fingers. Your thumb should be resting against the back of the neck, like in the picture on the left. It’s tempting to just hook your thumb over the edge of the neck, but that would make it harder to reach the strings with your fingers and still have a clear sound.

The neck of the guitar should be angled a little bit forwards, so that you can keep your right elbow (or left, if you’re left-handed) relaxed. If you keep the guitar parallell with your body, you will have to pull your elbow back behind you, which makes it difficult to relax.

For the other hand, let’s start with finger picking. If you’re using your fingers to play, you should keep your arm, wrist and fingers gently curved in against the strings. Try to keep your fingers relaxed, or it will be very difficult to play anything fast later on. Have a look at the picture below.

In the picture on the left, the wrist is slightly bent and the fingers curve in toward the strings. The hand is relaxed, which makes it easier to play in a controlled way. In the picture on the right, the wrist is more straight, and the fingers are too bent. The hand is quite tense, it’s difficult to play anything fast, and if you practise a lot, your hand will probably start hurting. A lot of guitar players have this problem, especially if they are used to playing with a pick. Try to stay relaxed.

Guitar players often have problems with their shoulders and elbows. If you practise a lot, you might start pulling your shoulders up a bit without noticing it, especially if you are practising something difficult. Keep an eye out for this, and try to keep your shoulders relaxed.